More of a fan of Shame on paper than on film, Sean Bobbitt’s camera work was flawless and Michael Fassbender once again went beyond the call of duty, but for me, Steve McQueen’s Hunger still resonates and would be the principle reason why his third feature ranks so well on this list. What will likely be compared to Quentin Tarantino’s Django upon its release, Twelve Years a Slave features one hell of a stellar cast.

Gist: After a New York state citizen (Chiwetel Ejiofor) is kidnapped and sold into brutal slavery, and made to work on a plantation in Louisiana in the 1800s, he desperately struggles to return home to his family.

Release Date: Filming took place last July, so this is ready for either Cannes (where Hunger got its debut) or Venice (where Shame premiered). It’ll be at TIFF for it’s North American debut.prevnext

Eric Lavallée is the founder, editor-in-chief and film critic at IONCINEMA.com (founded in 2000). Eric splits his time between his home base in Montreal, NYC, and is a regular at Sundance, Cannes and TIFF. He has a BFA in Film Studies at the Mel Hoppenheim School of Cinema. In 2013 he served as a Narrative Competition Jury Member at the SXSW Film Festival. Top Films From Contemporary Film Auteurs:
Almodóvar (Talk to Her), Coen Bros. (Fargo), Dardennes (La Promesse), Haneke (Caché), Hsiao-Hsien (Three Times), Kar-wai (In the Mood for Love), Kiarostami (Taste of Cherry), Lynch (Mulholland Dr.), Tarantino (Pulp Fiction), Van Sant (My Own Private Idaho), von Trier (Breaking the Waves)

What a cast, what a talented director and most of all interesting story and complex topic following themes of movies in 2012.

Lance Edmands (Bluebird)
“We discussed how much of the look would be inspired by this era, the last time people really had the money to renovate things. The house that the main family lives in was totally empty and falling apart when we picked it.”
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